App Store search manipulation

The problems outlined in the Blix Inc. v. Apple Inc. amended complaint show that Apple has, at nearly every step, stacked the deck against competitors that offer quality alternatives to Apple’s default apps. As most relevant to Blix, this includes preventing true competition for mail apps on the macOS and iOS platforms, but it is not limited to mail apps.

In fact, Apple’s anticompetitive conduct has involved multiple categories of apps on both platforms, and its scheme includes a number of different, complementary actions.

In short, Apple has crippled true competition for its default apps through a “thousand different cuts.” This is illegal and must be stopped.

• Search results manipulation For years, Apple manipulated search in the iOS App Store to push consumers away from third-party software and towards Apple’s own.
• September 26, 2019 Shortly after The New York Times’s September 9 story on App Store search, Apple’s search rankings changed dramatically.
• No rating Apple’s default apps, such as Mail and Books, cannot be rated by users, insulating them from negative reviews.
• “Apps and Games We Love” Apple promoted low-quality competitors, giving the illusion that only low-quality substitutes for Apple Mail existed.
• Stories Oversized parts of the search interface lead users away from competitors and towards Apple-curated lists and ads.
• App Store layout Users must scroll significantly to reach many – sometimes any – third-party apps.
• The iOS App Store One distribution channel, controlled by the company that competes with every app in it.
• Apple’s default apps No way to make a third-party app the default, unlike on Android or Windows.